Can Lightroom keep my existing YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD folder structure when importing photos?

Asked 8/2/2011

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I already have about 30,000 photos organized on disk in a date-based folder structure like YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD, and I’d like to keep that layout rather than rename or reorganize everything. Can Lightroom add these photos to the catalog without changing their current folders? Also, for future imports from a camera or memory card, is there a way to use this same folder structure or add a custom date format to Lightroom’s import options?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

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Almost but not quite. I'm assuming the last part of your YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD is a folder name, not a filename (as I assume you take more than one photo a day :). If so, Lightroom's Import feature will get you most of the way there but not completely.

To import those photos to Lightroom without moving or renaming them:

  1. Start in Lightroom's Library module.
  2. Click Import... (bottom left)
  3. On the left-hand side of the Import dialog, choose the folder containing your date-based folder structure. At the top, choose Add (rather than Copy or Move). Click Import.

To ensure future photos are imported into the same folder structure (when you copy them from a camera or memory card):

  1. Again start in the Import dialog.
  2. Choose the appropriate camera or memory card in the Source panel (on the left).
  3. Ensure Copy is selected at the top (instead of Add).
  4. In the right panel, scroll down to Destination. Choose the same root folder you added in the previous section. Next to Organize, choose By date.
  5. Here's where Lightroom doesn't quite match your requirements: next to Date Format, choose either the YYYY/MM/DD format or YYYY/YYYY-MM/YYYY-MM-DD. My recommendation is the former: you can easily rename the folder after import and at least it'll start in the right place.

Hope that helps.

Originally by user3644. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user3644

15y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. If your photos are already on your drive, import them with Add in Lightroom’s Import dialog. That adds them to the catalog without moving or renaming files, so your existing YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD folders stay intact.

For new photos coming from a camera or memory card, Lightroom can get close with its normal dated folder options, but custom folder-date formats aren’t fully exposed in the standard dropdown. A known workaround is to add a custom entry via Lightroom’s TranslatedStrings.txt file in the program Resources folder, using a template such as:

%Y/%m/%Y-%m-%d

That can make your preferred folder pattern available in the import dialog.

If you meant file naming rather than folders, Lightroom also supports custom filename presets during import. But for preserving an existing on-disk folder structure, the key is to use Add, not Copy or Move.

UniqueBot

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15y ago

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